Day 2 of the 2022 women’s World Championship didn’t feature any of the world’s top teams, but the competition remained intense. In Group A, Switzerland’s stars came to play, while Group B action saw Czechia continue to take strides as a nation to watch.
Here’s a look at what happened on Friday:
Switzerland Beats Japan
Switzerland rode the strength of their top two players, Alina Muller and Lara Stalder, to win their opening game of the tournament 3-1.
Japan now sits at 0-2 after a tough loss to the United States on Thursday.
Stalder and Muller scored 11 minutes apart in the second period to give Switzerland a 2-0 lead. Lena Marie Lutz made it 3-0 at 57:55, but Akane Shiga ended Andrea Braendli’s shutout in the Swiss net with 23 seconds to go to give Japan something to cheer about. Miyu Masuhara was solid in net for Japan and was named the team’s player of the game, but they dropped an important game as the team looks to find some momentum moving forward.
Czechia Overpowers Hungary
In a completely lopsided affair, Czechia downed Hungary 7-1 to start off strong.
Klara Hymlarov and Daniel Pejsova scored a goal each in the first 2:21 to put the game out of reach almost from the get-go. Tereza Radova and Adela Sapovalivova made it 4-0 in the second period, but Alexandra Huszak’s goal with under five minutes left in the second stanza put an end to Klara Peslarova’s shutout bid.
Natalie Mlynkova and Agata Sarnovska both scored in the third, split by Sapovalivova’s second of the night, to make it a 7-1 game.
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Three Stars
1. Alina Muller, C (SUI): On the first goal of the game, Muller dragged, delayed, faked, then fed a perfect pass to Lara Stalder who buried a one-timer. It showed incredible control, and showcased the immense playmaking skills that Muller possesses. Later, she dropped to a knee in the slot adding extra leverage to her shot to bury a 2-0 marker. Offensively, Muller stacks up with the best in the world, and she showed it in Switzerland’s win over Japan.
2. Lara Stalder, RW (SUI): The combination of Stalder and Alina Muller proved to be too much for the Japanese defense. To open the scoring, Stalder found open ice in the left circle and ripped a one-timer short side. Next, she scooped a loose puck below the goal line, rounded the net and perfectly slid a pass to Muller in the slot who scored to make it 2-0. The duo controlled play whenever they were on the ice, with Stalder showing dominance on the cycle or in possession below the goal line, holding pressure for the Swiss.
3. Adela Sapovalivova, LW (CZE): Coming off a year where Sapovalivova led the Czechian women’s league in goals and then was named a tournament all-star at the U-18 World Championship scoring nine points in five games, things didn’t look like they could get better for the talented forward. When the youngest player in the tournament at just 16 scored a pair of goals against Hungary, however, it marked a new era for Czechia. She will be a centerpiece to the Czechian attack for years.
